Shared Environment Research Articles

The Role of Zoosemiotic Inquiry in Shared Environments: Interlinking Nature and Culture

Abstract Environmental humanities study how human worldviews and culture affect the rest of the nature and our interactions with it. Zoosemiotics provides a unique perspective on human-alloanimal communication and analyzes communication dynamics to address the complexities and competing goals in shared environments, recognizing that human interpretations of alloanimal behavior are often anthropocentric. Understanding alloanimal agency and subjective experiences helps create more respectful and harmonious shared environments. By offering case-studies from zoological gardens and species conservation we hope to guide conservation endeavors, environmental conflict resolution, and more sustainable relationships in the Anthropocene. In examining these shared environments, we also indicate how cultural perceptions and practices influence interspecies interactions, thus emphasizing the interconnectedness of culture and ecology.

Adaptive-Constrained Impedance Control for Human-Robot Co-Transportation.

Human-robot co-transportation allows for a human and a robot to perform an object transportation task cooperatively on a shared environment. This range of applications raises a great number of theoretical and practical challenges arising mainly from the unknown human-robot interaction model as well as from the difficulty of accurately model the robot dynamics. In this article, an adaptive impedance controller for human-robot co-transportation is put forward in task space. Vision and force sensing are employed to obtain the human hand position, and to measure the interaction force between the human and the robot. Using the latest developments in nonlinear control theory, we propose a robot end-effector controller to track the motion of the human partner under actuators' input constraints, unknown initial conditions, and unknown robot dynamics. The proposed adaptive impedance control algorithm offers a safe interaction between the human and the robot and achieves a smooth control behavior along the different phases of the co-transportation task. Simulations and experiments are conducted to illustrate the performance of the proposed techniques in a co-transportation task.

A study on green technology efficiency of China’s marine ship industry chain based on meta-frontier framework and three-stage EBM model

Under strict resource and environmental constraints, improving the overall green efficiency of the industrial chain is crucial to the sustainable development of the marine ship industry. Based on the data of 40 listed companies in the industry chain from 2015 to 2019, the meta-frontier framework and three-stage epsilon based measure (EBM) model are employed to study the green technical efficiency (GTE) in each link of the industry chain and the technical gap between each link. The impact of the external environment on GTE, the main reasons hindering the development of GTE, and the ways to improve GTE are also discussed for policy reference. The results show that: (1) under the meta-frontier, the GTEs of the whole industry chain and the composed links are all high and rising year by year. (2) There are obvious green technological development gaps among the links of the industry chain. The GTEs are ranked as the upstream>the downstream>the midstream. (3) The inefficiencies of green technology (GTEI) in the upstream and downstream of the industry chain come from endogenous hindrance, while the GTEI of the midstream is due to exogenous hindrance. (4) The external environment has a significant influence on the development of GTE in the industrial chain. Highly open and innovative external environment can effectively reduce the input redundancy. (5) After eliminating the external influencing factors and random interferences, the actual GTE of the industrial chain is only 0.4 or so, with more serious imbalance among the three links. Therefore, it is important for the marine ship industry chain to optimize the allocation of innovation resources and cultivate an open and shared innovation environment.

Study of Social Presence While Interacting in Metaverse with an Augmented Avatar during Autonomous Driving

In this paper, we studied the effects of using Microsoft HoloLens 2 in a Metaverse-based collaborative mixed reality environment on the driver’s social presence while using an autonomous driving system. In (semi-) autonomous vehicles the driver is the system’s monitor, and the driving process becomes a secondary task. Our approach is motivated by the advent of Microsoft Mesh XR technology that enables immersion in multi-person, shared mixed reality environments. We conducted a user study comparing the effects on social presence in two scenarios: baseline and mixed reality collaboration. During the baseline condition, participants communicated and interacted with another person using Skype/Meet which was installed on a mobile tablet. In the second scenario the participants used the Microsoft Mesh application installed on HoloLens 2 to collaborate in a mixed reality environment where each user is represented by an augmented 3D avatar. During the experiment, the participant had to perform a social interaction tell-a-lie task and a remote collaborative tic-tac-toe game, while also monitoring the vehicle’s behavior. The social presence was measured using the Harms and Biocca questionnaire, one of the most widely used tools for evaluating the user’s experience. We found that there are significant statistical differences for Co-presence, Perceived Emotional Interdependence, and Perceived Behavioral Interdependence, and participants were able to easily interact with the avatar in the mixed reality scenario. The proposed study procedure could be taken further to assess the driver’s performance during handover procedures, especially when the autonomous driving system encounters a critical situation.

Predictors Associated with Double Burden of Malnutrition among Child-Mother Pairs in Kericho County, Kenya

In low-and middle-income nations, the double burden of malnutrition is a rising problem. It is unusual for an underweight child and an overweight mother to exist together in the same household because they both occupy a shared environment and have access to the same dietary patterns and habits. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictors associated with double burden of malnutrition among the child-mother pairs living in Kericho County. The research design employed was cross-sectional descriptive study. The target population was 346 comprising of a child- mother pairs within the six sub-counties within Kericho County. The research employed the multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method to obtain the target households. A pre-tested questionnaire collected data from socioeconomic demographic characteristics, nutrition status for mother (Body Mass Index,) child (BMI- Z-scores), food consumption and frequency. Data processing was done using Ms Excel, SPSS vs. 26.0 and Nutri survey 2005 software. Categorical variables were analyzed, while measures of central tendencies and dispersion were computed. The benchmark for the level of significance were at 0.05 alpha level (p<0.05. The results showed that majority of the respondents (57.6%) were between 36-49 years. The study findings also revealed that 18.9% of children were stunted, 11.5% wasted, 5.8% obese and 8.1% overweight. The study also found that 28.1% of mothers were overweight while 7.7% were obese and 16.9% were underweight. The variables: Weight of; mother’s age, weight and height, child’s age, gender and weight were significantly associated with double burden of malnutrition among child-mother pairs. The mother’s weight, height and age, the child’s weight, age and gender influences the nutritional outcomes which has an influence in controlling DBM. The study recommends that policy makers to review the Maternal, Infant and Young Child Feeding Nutrition (MIYCN) policy to take into consideration .....

Health Disparities by Sexual Orientation: Implications of Genetic and Environmental Explanations

ABSTRACT Xu and colleagues add to the growing research literature on the role of potential familial (i.e., genetic and shared environment) causes in sexual orientation and in the relation between sexual orientation and poor mental health, in which lesbian, gay, bisexual, and other sexual minority individuals have poorer mental health than heterosexual individuals. I address several implications of the findings by Xu et al. and others. First, the nuance or complexity of genetics is considered, given the implications of genetics for health via a single gene, epistasis, or epigenetics. Second, I highlight the magnitude of the genetic relation between sexual orientation and psychopathology, suggesting some, but not all, sexual minority individuals may differ from heterosexual individuals on psychiatric vulnerability. In turn, this suggests that research should identify for whom or under what circumstances the relation holds. Third, I underscore the need for a within-subjects design, in which attention turns to differences among sexual minority individuals. Fourth, the need to reevaluate Minority Stress Theory, the predominant theory accounting for health disparities by sexual orientation, is addressed because of the implications of genetics for health. Fifth, I acknowledge the concern attached to genetic research for potentially compounding the stigmatization already experienced by sexual minority individuals. Nevertheless, this research is occurring and will likely increase in volume. It will inform understanding of sexual minority individuals.

Design of physical education teaching in colleges and universities based on emotional education under the environment of internet sharing information.

In the traditional teaching, the lack of emotional education for students leads to emotional indifference between teachers and students and low teaching quality. In this paper, from the perspective of emotional education. In college physical education teaching, information sharing through the Internet is compared with traditional education in terms of timeliness of communication, integrity of emotional education, teacher-student relationship, and teaching quality. The results show that the timeliness of communication has increased by 9.3%, the integrity of education has increased by 30%, and the relationship between teachers and students has also been significantly improved. In terms of teaching quality, students are more satisfied, and the teaching quality has also been improved. It also shows that emotional education in the Internet sharing information environment can better help students improve their learning, improve their learning efficiency, and learn better in happiness. Emotional education in a shared information environment can better enrich teaching content and enhance students' enthusiasm, which is of great significance.

Scalable method for administration of resource technologies under stochastic procedures

During the development of the S3Unica project (Smart Specialisation University Campus) and its application in the ASSET project (Advanced Systems Studies for Energy Transition), both within the European Commission, the resolution of the distributed energy generation model was proposed through the creation of an algorithm that would allow the shared market between producers and consumers. From this premise arose the need to create a replicable system to resolve this situation in the new shared generation environment, using low-cost technologies. This work develops the scalable method for resource management technologies (SMART), based on stochastic procedures, which generates microgrids with an integrated energy market. The interest of this work is based on the incorporation of real-time analysis, applying stochastic methods, and its fusion with probabilistic predictive methods that evolve and harmonise the results. The fact that the process is self-learning also enables the use of metadomotic as a tool for both comfort improvement and energy sharing. The most important results developed were the design of the internal scheme of the low-cost SMART control device together with the developments of both individual and collective resolution algorithms. By achieving the incorporation of internal and external producers in the same numerical procedure, the distributed and hybrid generation models are solved simultaneously.

Autism spectrum condition and the built environment

ABSTRACT A growing body of research proves that city green spaces provide positive physical and mental health benefits. However, access is not universal. For many people with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC), our cities can be difficult to navigate, due to the cognitive and social challenges inherent within the Built Environment. Problematically, cities are planned and designed by and for neurotypical people who commonly neglect the needs of those with disabilities. This paper aims to identify the impacts of the Built Environment on the walkability of a city for those with Autism Spectrum Condition. Using film, photography and recordings, two alternative journeys from a transport hub to a public park are analysed. A focus group consisting of parents of children with Autism Spectrum Condition aid the investigation by analysing the material gathered before suggesting potential solutions to the identified challenges. Suggestions included transition zones and provision of dedicated quiet places in the city, compartmentalisation of large spaces, utilising technology before journeys alongside improving safety and signage. Reflecting on the findings, this paper provides a number of urban design principles for the Built Environment, which consider those with Autism Spectrum Condition, that will make our shared Built Environment more inclusive for all.

From building to city level dynamic digital Twin: a review from data management perspective

The development of the digital twin (DT) has been focused greatly after the concept was brought from the manufacturing and aerospace areas. In the architectural, engineering, construction and facility management (AEC/FM) sector, DTs are capable of integrating heterogeneous metadata and cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning to create a dynamic digital environment for various purposes. Although building information modelling (BIM) appears to be a significant contributor to DTs, one of the major limitations for DT development is how to construct and provide a shared data environment for all stakeholders to collaborate throughout the life cycle. Furthermore, as the stakeholders’ requirements range of DTs expands from a single building to multiple buildings and regional/city levels, the information and data management gaps (e.g., BIM and GIS data integration) are more challenging and critical. To address these gaps, this paper aims to 1) review the current data management for building and city level DTs from a technical perspective; 2) summarise their major data management issues from building to city levels based on the review; 3) introduce the concept of city-level Common Data Environment (CDE) that addresses the issues identified above, and discuss the possibilities of developing a CDE for a dynamic city-level DT.

The Intensity of Formal Child-Care Attendance Decreases the Shared Environment Contribution to School Readiness: A Twin Study

The purpose of this study was to explore if child-care intensity (hours/weeks) and age of onset could moderate genetic and environmental contributions to school readiness. A sample of 648 (85% Whites; 50% Females) pairs of twins was used to compute a GxE, CxE and ExE interaction analyses. The moderation model showed that shared environment explains 48% of individual differences in school readiness for children not attending formal child-care, and decreased gradually to a mere 3% for children attending formal child-care full time, e.g., 40 h per week. Age of onset exerted no moderation effect. The results support the hypothesis that child-care acts as a normalizing environment, possibly buffering negative effects from low-quality home environments on school readiness.

Plenary 5 Sustaining high quality care: interprofessional training for our clinical and public health workforce

Abstract The plenary session will align with the main conference theme ‘Strengthening health systems: improving population health and being prepared for the unexpected’ and providing a balanced perspective on public health and healthcare interprofessional linkages for training of the two workforces integral for a well-functioning, responsive and robust health system. Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, WHO Regional Office for Europe who will set the scene for the first Keynote with the WHO Athens Office work on European Programme of Work (EPW) 2020–2025 – ‘United Action for Better Health in Europe’ reflecting on the coherence of policies, structures and resources for quality of health care and implications for policy dialogue, policy formulation and technical assistance at the regional, sub-regional and country levels. She will also speak to the WHO/EURO Regional HRH Report presented in September 2022 and the WHO-ASPHER Roadmap to Professionalization launched in February 2022 offering pragmatic recommendations for action to professionalize the public health workforce as a response to growing public health needs. EHMA Director George Valiotis will follow with a Keynote speaking to the key EU agenda on skills for health, with the EHMA led BeWell (2022-2025) project: Investing in the upskilling and reskilling of the European health workforce. The multi-partner consortium aims to build a movement of healthcare stakeholders which support and contribute to the development, implementation, and upscaling of a strategy on the upskilling and reskilling of the European health workforce addressing the skills needed to support the digital and green transition within the health ecosystem enabling all health professionals to be better prepared to face future challenges and adapt to ever-evolving societal contexts. Fatai Ogunlayi, UK Public Health Specialty Registrar will speak to the global level agenda with focus on the WHO Roadmap: “Building the Public Health and Emergency Workforce’. The roadmap is designed to provide countries with a differentiated and progressive approach to acknowledge varying capacities and contexts with provision of guidance and tools; and support progress to full implementation towards a strengthened public health workforce delivering all essential public health functions for universal health coverage, health security and improved health and wellbeing. Laurent Chambaud, Dean, EHESP School of Public Health, will provide a country perspective with discussion of work toward official agreements on the One Health approach, which recognizes that the health of people is closely connected to the health of animals and our shared environment, and the interprofessional context and training required to achieve it. Keynote speaker: Natasha Azzopardi Muscat WHO Europe George Valiotis European Health Management Association, Brussels, Belgium Speakers/Panellists: Fatai Ogunlayi UK Public Health Specialty Registrar, UK Laurent Chambaud Andrija Stampar Medallist 2022, France Anett Ruszanov Director of Policy and Programmes, EHMA

Stability criteria for the consumption and exchange of essential resources.

Models of consumer effects on a shared resource environment have helped clarify how the interplay of consumer traits and resource supply impact stable coexistence. Recent models generalize this picture to include the exchange of resources alongside resource competition. These models exemplify the fact that although consumers shape the resource environment, the outcome of consumer interactions is context-dependent: such models can have either stable or unstable equilibria, depending on the resource supply. However, these recent models focus on a simplified version of microbial metabolism where the depletion of resources always leads to consumer growth. Here, we model an arbitrarily large system of consumers governed by Liebig's law, where species require and deplete multiple resources, but each consumer's growth rate is only limited by a single one of these resources. Resources that are taken up but not incorporated into new biomass are leaked back into the environment, possibly transformed by intracellular reactions, thereby tying the mismatch between depletion and growth to cross-feeding. For this set of dynamics, we show that feasible equilibria can be either stable or unstable, again depending on the resource environment. We identify special consumption and production networks which protect the community from instability when resources are scarce. Using simulations, we demonstrate that the qualitative stability patterns derived analytically apply to a broader class of network structures and resource inflow profiles, including cases where multiple species coexist on only one externally supplied resource. Our stability criteria bear some resemblance to classic stability results for pairwise interactions, but also demonstrate how environmental context can shape coexistence patterns when resource limitation and exchange are modeled directly.

A Novel QKD Approach to Enhance IIOT Privacy and Computational Knacks.

The industry-based internet of things (IIoT) describes how IIoT devices enhance and extend their capabilities for production amenities, security, and efficacy. IIoT establishes an enterprise-to-enterprise setup that means industries have several factories and manufacturing units that are dependent on other sectors for their services and products. In this context, individual industries need to share their information with other external sectors in a shared environment which may not be secure. The capability to examine and inspect such large-scale information and perform analytical protection over the large volumes of personal and organizational information demands authentication and confidentiality so that the total data are not endangered after illegal access by hackers and other unauthorized persons. In parallel, these large volumes of confidential industrial data need to be processed within reasonable time for effective deliverables. Currently, there are many mathematical-based symmetric and asymmetric key cryptographic approaches and identity- and attribute-based public key cryptographic approaches that exist to address the abovementioned concerns and limitations such as computational overheads and taking more time for crucial generation as part of the encipherment and decipherment process for large-scale data privacy and security. In addition, the required key for the encipherment and decipherment process may be generated by a third party which may be compromised and lead to man-in-the-middle attacks, brute force attacks, etc. In parallel, there are some other quantum key distribution approaches available to produce keys for the encipherment and decipherment process without the need for a third party. However, there are still some attacks such as photon number splitting attacks and faked state attacks that may be possible with these existing QKD approaches. The primary motivation of our work is to address and avoid such abovementioned existing problems with better and optimal computational overhead for key generation, encipherment, and the decipherment process compared to the existing conventional models. To overcome the existing problems, we proposed a novel dynamic quantum key distribution (QKD) algorithm for critical public infrastructure, which will secure all cyber–physical systems as part of IIoT. In this paper, we used novel multi-state qubit representation to support enhanced dynamic, chaotic quantum key generation with high efficiency and low computational overhead. Our proposed QKD algorithm can create a chaotic set of qubits that act as a part of session-wise dynamic keys used to encipher the IIoT-based large scales of information for secure communication and distribution of sensitive information.

Stratified micro-environments using a sidewall air supply: An experimental and simulation study

The idea of providing stratified micro-environments in a shared environment by utilizing a sidewall air supply is proposed, to provide different thermal comfort and air quality levels to satisfy individual needs at different occupied positions. Experimental cases with various supply air parameters and room layouts are conducted in a mock consultation room consisting of two face-to-face occupants. Further, parametric studies using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) are performed. Overall thermal sensation and local thermal comfort are both evaluated. Tracer gas (i.e., CO2) concentration distributions are investigated experimentally, while the air age is used as an indicator in CFD simulations. The results show that the proposed strategy simultaneously provides displacement ventilation (DV) and stratum ventilation (SV) in a shared environment, satisfying individual preferences and needs. The demarcation thermal length of the supply air jet between DV and SV is around 0.8 m. The normalized contaminant concentration at the breathing level is 0.00–0.30 with both table and floor contaminant sources. Better air quality is achieved in the area served by a higher thermal length. The local discomfort and “lock-up” effect under DV is reduced, by the interaction between the supply air jets, which is validated, as the partition impeding the interaction brings a significant influence. Short jet spacing of 0.75 m implies that multiple stratified micro-environments can be provided in a medium room, while a medium distance between the occupant and the supply air terminal (i.e., 1.7 m) is the most efficient in cooling and renewing the air age.

Supplier optimisation life cycle: Development, implementation and ongoing evaluation

In the ongoing pursuit of supply chain continuous improvement, an established platform ensures internal company efforts are being maximised, documented and repeatable. This paper will describe how two foundational documents can build standardisation throughout inventory management organisations while creating a process supporting continuous improvement. These basic documents support and create a shared information environment, reducing key person dependencies and bridging potential knowledge gaps when team members leave roles temporarily or permanently. Recommendations will include how to develop and implement: 1) supplier optimisation life cycle; and 2) buy guide, as well as recommendations on monitoring long-term success via tools; and 3) metrics/ key product indicators.

Community-based Systems Dynamics for Reproductive Health: An Example from Urban Ohio.

Health outcomes, risk factors, and policies are complexly related to the reproductive health system. Systems-level frameworks for understanding and acting within communities through community-engaged research are needed to mitigate adverse reproductive health outcomes more effectively within the community. To describe and share lessons learned from an ongoing application of a participatory modeling approach (community-based system dynamics) that aims to eliminate racial inequities in Black-White reproductive health outcomes. The community-based system dynamics approach involves conducting complementary activities, workshops, modeling, and dissemination. We organized workshops, co-developed a causal loop diagram of the reproductive health system with participants from the community, and created materials to disseminate workshop findings and preliminary models. Many opportunities exist for cross-fertilization of best practices between community-based system dynamics and community-based participatory research. Shared learning environments offer benefits for modelers and domain experts alike. Additionally, identifying local champions from the community helps manage group dynamics. Community-based system dynamics is well-suited for understanding complexity in the reproductive health system. It allows participants from diverse perspectives to identify strategies to eliminate racial inequities in reproductive health outcomes.

Body size has primacy over stoichiometric variables in nutrient excretion by a tropical stream fish community

Ecological Stoichiometry (ES) and the Metabolic Theory of Ecology (MTE) are the main theories used to explain consumers’ nutrient recycling. ES posits that imbalances between an animal’s body and its diet stoichiometry determine its nutrient excretion rates, whereas the MTE predicts that excretion reflects metabolic activity arising from body size and temperature. We measured nitrogen, phosphorus and N:P excretion, body N:P stoichiometry, body size, and temperature for 12 fish species from a Brazilian stream. We fitted competing models reflecting different combinations of ES (body N:P, armor classification, diet group) and MTE (body size, temperature) variables. Only body size predicted P excretion rates, while N excretion was predicted by body size and time of day. N:P excretion was not explained by any variable. There was no interspecific difference in size-scaling coefficients neither for N nor for P. Fitted size scaling coefficients were lower than the MTE prediction of 0.75 for N (0.58), and for P (0.56). We conclude that differences in nutrient excretion among species within a shared environment primarily reflect contrasts in metabolic rates arising from body size, rather than disparities between consumer and resource stoichiometry. Our findings support the MTE as the primary framework for predicting nutrient excretion rates.

Optimizing sustainability of infrastructure projects through the integration of building information modeling and envision rating system at the design stage

With infrastructure services demand rising, a significant contributor to sustainable development goals, infrastructure systems have to evolve and adapt effectively, efficiently, and sustainably. The broad set of decision variables coupled with the trade-off among the economic, social, and environmental aspects complicate sustainability assessment and optimization during the design stage. Thus, this paper presents a Building Information Modeling (BIM)-based automated framework for real-time evaluation and optimization of sustainability in infrastructure projects. The proposed framework benefits from infrastructure sustainability rating systems that provide a systemic and balanced set of indicators for careful consideration of sustainability. On the other hand, to automate the process, BIM, with its 3D shared environment, is used as an integrated platform for dynamic sustainability analysis. The proposed framework integrates both novelties in real-time during the early design stages, which helps designers to select the most sustainable alternative. A prototype and a hypothetical case study are conducted to validate the framework's applicability through Infraworks 360 as the operating BIM platform and Envision as the baseline rating system. The results confirm that adopting the suggested method simplifies the inclusion of sustainability into design decisions while facilitating documentation of compliance with credit assessment for both project teams and verification agencies.

Heritability of Psychological Traits and Developmental Milestones in Infancy

Although infancy is the most rapid period of postnatal growth and development, factors associated with variation in infant traits are not well understood. To synthesize the large twin study literature partitioning phenotypic variance in psychological traits and developmental milestones in infancy into estimates of heritability and shared and nonshared environment. PubMed, PsycINFO, and references of included publications were searched up to February 11, 2021. Peer-reviewed publications using the classical twin design to study psychological traits and developmental milestones from birth to 2 years old were included. Data were extracted in line with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses and categorized using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: Children and Youth Version. Data were pooled in 3-level random effects models, incorporating within-cohort variance in outcome measurement and between-cohort variance. Data were analyzed from March 2021 through September 2021. The primary outcomes were monozygotic and dizygotic twin correlations. These were used to calculate genetic and shared and nonshared environment estimates. Among 139 publications that were systematically retrieved, data were available on 79 044 twin pairs (31 053 monozygotic and 47 991 dizygotic pairs), 52 independent samples, and 21 countries. Meta-analyses were conducted on psychological traits and developmental milestones from 106 publications organized into 10 categories of functioning, disability, and health. Moderate to high genetic estimates for 8 categories were found, the highest of which was psychomotor functions (pooled h2, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.25-0.79; P < .001). Several categories of traits had substantial shared environment estimates, the highest being mental functions of language (pooled c2, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.24-0.86; P = .001). All examined categories of traits had moderate or high nonshared environment estimates, the highest of which were emotional functions (pooled e2, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.33-0.50; P < .001) and family relationships (pooled e2, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.30-0.55; P < .001). These findings may be an important source of information to guide future gene discovery research, public perspectives on nature and nurture, and clinical insights into the degree to which family history and environments may estimate major domains of infant functioning, disability, and health in psychological traits and developmental milestones.